This invention relates to game tables and particularly to what is commonly referred to as billiard tables, whether including pockets and used for playing pool, or without pockets and used for playing billiards, snooker, or the like.
A billiard table typically has a set of four legs at the four corners, or two pairs of end supports each extending between two corners, a slate bed, a set of four sills supporting the slate bed along its four edges, i.e., two sills at opposite ends and two sills at opposite sides, a peripheral rail composed of two opposite side rails and two opposite end rails, and a peripheral apron depending from the rails and composed of a pair of opposite end aprons and a pair of opposite side aprons.
A common technique for interconnecting the sills to the corner legs is with interconnecting wood dowels and exterior L-shaped brackets and screws. This construction is complex and involves two holes bored into the ends of each sill and like holes bored into the leg, all to receive wood dowels; two holes drilled into the back of each sill and filled with threaded inserts; two holes drilled into the leg and filled with threaded inserts; and metal L-shaped brackets affixed to these inserts with screws. Great care must be taken to cause the doweled corner components to be pressed tightly together with no remaining gap between the sills and corner legs and then fastening the L-shaped brackets to hopefully restrain the components from separating. Unfortunately, even after all of this, prevention of separation is not always successful.